Temperatures could reach 36C (97F) or higher this week, forecaster have said, with possible disruption to railway lines and power networks as the Met Office considers issuing rare amber or red extreme heat warnings.

Parts of the UK are forecast to experience their fifth heatwave of the summer as the country continues to bake in an unprecedented period of dry, hot weather.

Monday will be slightly cooler before temperatures rise again on Tuesday.

The Met Office meteorologist Tom Morgan said: “We’ll probably see highs reaching the mid-30s quite widely on Wednesday, and indeed on Thursday too for England and Wales.

“On Wednesday, probably the Midlands, maybe a little bit farther south – the M4 corridor, west of London, up towards the Midlands – is where we might have a small chance of reaching 36C in one or two spots.

“But Thursday, at this stage, looks the most likely hottest day of the week. So 36C is a fairly reasonable probability locally … and there’s a small chance it could get even higher than that.”

Wales and half of England are in drought, with more regions likely to be declared affected when officials meet at the National Drought Group on Monday.

Morgan said: “If it wasn’t for this incredible summer that we’re currently seeing, then we’d be talking about these temperatures as being really, very unusual. But of course, we’ve had such an exceptional summer, people have become a bit used to it.

“There is a potential for impacts, so impacts to infrastructure – things like railway lines and power networks; impacts to vulnerable people as well.”

Health officials have warned of the risks to vulnerable people from the coming hot weather, with serious consequences possible in health and social care settings and a potential rise in deaths.

Yellow heat-health alerts issued by the UK Health Security Agency are in place for the East Midlands, West Midlands, south-east, south-west, east of England, Yorkshire and the Humber, and London.

The alerts continue until 9pm on Tuesday but may be extended as the hot weather continues.

The heat and continuing drought conditions are being supercharged by the escalating climate crisis, putting huge pressure on vulnerable people, critical infrastructure and wildlife across affected areas.

Meanwhile, the Met Office is considering issuing rare extreme heat warnings in the run-up to the scorching temperatures forecast later in the week.

“We sometimes issue extreme heat warnings, amber and red warnings, which we did back in June, so that’s under consideration at the moment,” Morgan said.

More than 25 million people face restrictions on water use, according to the Environment Agency, with millions under hosepipe bans, including all South East Water and Thames Water customers.

Another record is likely to tumble this week after Sunday was the 34th day this year on which temperatures exceeded 30C somewhere in the UK, equalling the record set in 1995.

The extreme weather of summer 2026 has so far included two record-breaking heatwaves in May and June that were linked to more than 2,800 excess deaths.

Two further heatwaves in July, along with the driest July in England and Wales since records began in 1836, have fuelled drought and wildfires.

The EU’s Earth observation programme, Copernicus, said average temperatures across western Europe reached 21.61C for June-July, breaking the record set in 2022.

Globally, this year is just behind 2024 and 2025 as the hottest on record.